Sofia's Proof
“Enough chatter! Get away from that dragon hater this instant!”
“……?”
Benetric’s declaration plunged the cave into sudden silence. It was hardly surprising—few could easily accept the weight of those words.
What? I’m a dragon hater?
A crime I hadn’t even known I’d committed. Dragon hatred. The term was utterly foreign to me. In the Drango Continent, where dragons were revered as gods, it was tantamount to blasphemy.
Hold on. Dragon hater…? Could it be…?
Though I’d never heard the accusation before, something about it felt disturbingly familiar. A memory surfaced from before I’d possessed the character Breeder in Destiny Dragons—one of the inflammatory comments I’d left while reviewing the game.
[…I must be an idiot for dropping two million won on this reptile-obsessed game…]
That single remark about “reptile-obsessed” must have branded me a dragon hater. Nothing else explained the charge. Unless Breeder’s backstory carried far more baggage than I’d realized.
“B-Breeder…? Is that true?”
Instead of retreating, Sofia stepped closer, her voice trembling with disbelief as she looked between me and Benetric.
“That can’t be! There must be a terrible misunderstanding…!”
“How dare a mere human speak so shamelessly! I confirmed it with my own eyes! Your name is clearly recorded in the ledger—yet you still dare to lie before a dragon?”
Benetric’s eyes flashed. The moment our gazes met, my body stiffened as though crushed beneath Dragon Fear. Her expression was filled with revulsion, as if she were staring at something utterly repulsive. If she wished, she could erase me in the blink of an eye.
“With all due respect… I truly know nothing of this. Dragon hatred? That’s absurd!”
I defended myself despite knowing it would fall on deaf ears. Still, I refused to remain silent.
“Denying it won’t help you. Someone in this academy still vividly remembers your crime.”
“Pardon? You mean an eyewitness?”
“Indeed! If the principal hadn’t taken you in as a servant, you would have been executed on the spot!”
“What…?”
I had no memory of any such event. Then again, that made sense—it would have happened before I transmigrated into this world.
“Did you not spew unforgivable words inside the Temple of the Primordial Dragon?! And instead of atoning, you fled your post and attempted to poison academy students!”
Benetric recited the details as though she had heard them firsthand. By her account, I was undeniably a despicable dragon hater.
No, that wasn’t me—it was the original Breeder!
I wanted to ask exactly what I’d said, but pressing the issue would only worsen things. I bit my tongue and stayed quiet.
“The principal must have been out of her mind to sentence you to only fifty years of labor. Tch…!”
Benetric clicked her tongue and scanned the cave. Her footsteps—tap, tap, thud—stopped before Diora’s prone form. She gazed down at the earth dragon with a mixture of pity and disdain.
“How tragic… Even a boisterous youth like her shouldn’t meet such an end.”
Her eyes then flicked to the half-eaten cake on the table.
“For the great Earth Dragon to be poisoned… It must have been a truly vicious toxin.”
She clearly mistook Diora’s collapse for mint-chocolate poisoning.
“Poison? Absolutely not…!!”
My voice rose in protest. Being branded a dragon hater was one thing, but being accused of mint-chocolate murder? That was too much. At the very least, I had to clear the dessert’s name.
“How dare you raise your voice, human! The evidence is right here!”
Benetric carefully lifted the plate still holding the mint-chocolate-chip cake, holding it only by the rim as though afraid the cream might touch her fingers.
“How potent must this toxin be to produce such a repulsive color?” she muttered.
I was speechless. Even mint chocolate didn’t deserve to be called poison. The leap in logic was staggering.
Still, explaining why Diora had actually collapsed felt impossible. I couldn’t muster a rebuttal.
“Vice Principal Benetric? That is not poison. I swear it upon the name of the Primordial Dragon!”
A clear, resolute voice rang out beside me. Sofia stepped forward, her expression fiercely serious—not merely to defend me, but because she could not tolerate the slander against mint chocolate.
“Oh? Sofia, are you protecting this servant? Even after what happened to your friend? She looks to be on the brink of death—quickly, we must—”
“She is not dying!”
“Y-You? How dare you speak so loudly—?”
“It was merely a dessert that didn’t suit Diora’s palate! Mint chocolate is innocent!”
With that bold declaration, Sofia lifted the remaining plate. She speared a massive chunk of cake—nearly the size of her fist—and held it up for all to see. The cross-section revealed a vivid green cream that dripped slowly onto the dish.
“W-What are you doing, Sofia?! Put that down at once!”
Benetric recoiled, genuine alarm breaking through her usual composure. She had never even tasted it, yet she condemned it as poison. The sight clearly unsettled her.
“No. I will prove it myself.”
“Prove what?! You cannot possibly mean—?”
“If I eat this and remain perfectly fine, then the dessert is innocent. Isn’t that correct?”
Sofia’s eyes shone with unwavering conviction. I hadn’t expected her to champion me so fiercely, but I was grateful. Without her, I would have been punished without a word.
Still… it was hard to ignore that she seemed even more passionate about defending mint chocolate than about defending me.
“—Hah! Om, nom, nom……”
Paying no heed to our conversation, Sofia popped the enormous piece into her mouth and chewed without hesitation.
“Sofia?! Why would you go so far for a human—?”
Benetric stared in horror, unable to close her mouth. How could anyone swallow something so vile in one bite?
Gulp!
Sofia finished every last crumb, even licking the cream from her lips before speaking.
“There. Do you see? To call such a benevolent treat poison is absurd.”
“Hah…? Sofia, is this because you were born with the power of light?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
Benetric remained unconvinced, eyeing Sofia as though she had performed some trick.
“Did you not neutralize the toxin within your body using your own power?”
“No, I did not. And if I had used my ability, someone of your caliber would have sensed it immediately.”
“W-Well…”
“You detected Diora’s presence from afar and rushed here. Surely you would have noticed something so simple.”
Empowered by her love of mint chocolate, Sofia countered with confidence. The timid girl from moments ago had vanished.
A heavy silence settled over the cave. Even Benetric had not anticipated such a bold defense.
“Hah… Very well. You may be right. Perhaps the dessert is harmless after all. I concede that much.”
“Professor…? You believe me?”
“Not yet. I must verify it personally.”
Benetric picked up a fork, her expression still doubtful, yet she slowly brought it toward the cake.
She’s actually going to eat it? Is it safe to let her…?
“I’ve been curious anyway. The human servant’s cooking has quite the reputation within the academy. Let’s see how it tastes.”
Apparently convinced by Sofia’s demonstration, Benetric’s wariness eased. She speared only a small, cautious bite.
“Miss…? Shouldn’t you stop her? If she collapses too, we’re finished.”
I couldn’t stay silent any longer. If the vice principal also fainted, there would be no saving me. If mint chocolate didn’t suit her palate, my life would be in real danger.
“It’s all right, Breeder. The vice principal is renowned as a gourmet. If anyone can appreciate mint chocolate’s true value, it’s her!”
Sofia’s faith in mint chocolate remained unshakable. She truly believed at least one person would understand.
Haah… I give up.
Is there any way to escape this academy? A bad feeling keeps growing stronger. Please, let nothing go wrong…
—Hah! Nom, nom…
Benetric placed the piece in her mouth and began to chew with surprising vigor, as though determined to dissect the dessert’s very essence rather than savor it. Her reaction came swiftly and decisively.
“Haaah—?! Th-This flavor…?! It’s incredible! How can something like this even exist…?!”
Instead of collapsing, Benetric let out a cry of pure astonishment.
“She… survived the mint chocolate…?!”
It was an unexpected outcome. Until now, everyone except Sofia had immediately face-planted after tasting it.
I thought mint chocolate belonged solely to Sofia… Maybe I was wrong—
Thud, crash, bang……!
“P-Professor…?!!”
…As expected, mint chocolate really was Sofia’s exclusive domain. Gourmet, my foot. We’re doomed. This time, even the vice principal…
Benetric’s final sound hadn’t been admiration—it had been a death cry.
Damn it. We’re really in trouble now.
Is fleeing the academy the only option left?